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Park Ranger (Interpretation)

Department of the Interior
National Park Service
Death Valley National Park
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This position is located in Death Valley National Park, in the Interpretation Division.

Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. See "Duties" for additional information.

Open to the first 101 applicants or until 08/20/2024 whichever comes first. All applications submitted by 11:59 (EST) on the closing day will receive consideration.

Overview

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Hiring complete
Open & closing dates
08/07/2024 to 08/13/2024
This job will close when we have received 101 applications which may be sooner than the closing date. Learn more
Salary
$49,025 to - $77,955 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 7 - 9
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Death Valley, CA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent - Permanent, Career-Seasonal Position (subject to periods of non-pay)
Work schedule
Full-time - When in pay status.
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
9
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
PW-1547-DEVA-24-12489085-ST
Control number
802513200

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Duties

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At 3.4 million acres, Death Valley is the largest national park in the lower 48 states. It is also the lowest, hottest, and driest national park in the United States. Furnace Creek Headquarters (primary visitor center and work offices) is an hour and fifteen minutes from the nearest grocery store and hospital (Pahrump, NV). The closest major metropolitan area with major shopping centers, airport, and primary medical care is Las Vegas, which is around two and a half hours from the park.

Death Valley winters are mild, rarely reaching freezing at low elevations. Death Valley summers are long, and extreme! April through October usually feature 100+ degree daytime highs, with July featuring numerous 120+ degree days and nights that never cool below 100 degrees. This is literally the hottest place on Earth, having set a global high temperature of 134 degrees.

Government housing may be available near headquarters at Cow Creek or 20 miles from headquarters at Stovepipe Wells. Employees may live outside of the park in Pahrump, NV. Park housing is awarded based on a bid system, with points given according to a variety of job related and personal factors. Housing ranges from small studio apartments to 3 bedroom shared or private homes. In a land of extremes, Death Valley features a vibrant community. Learn more at Death Valley National Park.

Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will be in a non-pay status for approximately 1 - 2 pay periods, sometime in May to July, and you will be in a pay status for the remainder of the year.

Major Duties:

  • Researches, develops, and presents a wide variety of personal and non-personal audience-centered interpretive programs, products, and experiences.
  • Serves as front-line representative to greet internal and external customers and respond to comments and inquiries received in-person, by telephone, and in writing; evaluates needs based on verbal and non-verbal cues to provide appropriate levels of service.
  • Performs and coordinates day-to-day operations of visitor center, information center, ranger station, or similar facility in accordance with standard operating procedures.
  • Uses computers, computer software, web/cloud-based systems, and office equipment to assist in the management of a visitor services operation and facilitate park wide communication.
  • Serves as a frontline leader and/or supervisor, recruiting and managing temporary personnel (at full-performance level), coordinating day-to-day work assignments, and coaching/mentoring and training team members to achieve high-quality visitor services and professional standards in resource interpretation.
Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.

The employees of the National Park Service care for special places that are the heritage of all Americans. Since its inception in 1916, the National Park Service has been dedicated to the preservation and management of this country's outstanding natural, historical, and recreational resources. Park ranger - interpreters connect people to parks. They play a key role in ensuring that visitors have a meaningful, satisfying, and safe park experience, help visitors decide how to spend their time in the park, and inform them about the wonders that await their discovery. Park ranger - interpreters are specially trained to engage the public so that each park visitor can find a personal connection with the meanings and values found in the places and stories of that park. They help visitors explore the many dimensions of parks by introducing them to a variety of perspectives. By providing the opportunity for visitors to care about the places they visit, they promote stewardship and the opportunity for those visitors to care for park resources. National parks are among the most remarkable places in America for recreation, learning, and inspiration. The work done by park ranger-interpreters through effective interpretive and educational programs encourages the development of a personal stewardship ethic and broadens public support for preserving and protecting park resources, so that they may be enjoyed by present and future generations.

Hiring Manager Contact Information:
Jennette Jurado
jennette_jurado@nps.gov

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • U.S. Citizenship required.
  • Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
  • Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males.
  • Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
  • Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program.
  • Any individual who is currently holding, or has held within the previous 52 weeks, a General Schedule position under non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet time-in-grade requirements (must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade or equivalent in the Federal service); with few exceptions as outlined in 5 CFR 300.603(b). Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal civilian employees applying for reinstatement who have had a break in service of less than one year, as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointments. Time-in-grade does not apply to new excepted service appointments. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
  • You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
  • You may be required to work weekends and holidays.
  • If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period.
  • You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes.
  • You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority.

Qualifications

REQUIREMENTS (CONT):

  • Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program.

QUALIFICATIONS:
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-08/20/2024-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

Credit will be given for all appropriate qualifying experience. For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected.

To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience comparable in scope and responsibility to the GS-05 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include all the following:
1) Developing and presenting a variety of interpretive programs (examples: orientation talks, guided walks, and giving demonstrations to a variety of audiences);
2) Developing interpretive materials, such as writing web pages, social media posts for an organization, brochures, guidebooks, handouts, exhibits;
3) Operating a variety of audiovisual and other media used in connection with interpretive programs;
4) Performing day to day operations of a visitor center, information center, or similar facility.
You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least one full year of graduate-level education in a related field appropriate to the position such as natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. You must provide transcripts.

-OR-

Successful completion of a combination of specialized experience and graduate education, as described above, that when combined equal at least 100% of the minimum qualification requirement for the GS-07 level. You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education and provide hours worked per week on your resume.

-OR-


SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: To qualify, you must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree in a field directly related to the duties of this position AND meet one of the following Superior Academic Achievement provisions: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as College of Liberal Arts or School of Business Administration, based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average: earn a grade-point average of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field, or the required courses completed during the final two years of the curriculum. Note: grade-point averages will be rounded to the one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9, and 3.45 = 3.5; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society: elected membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies. Freshman scholastic honor societies cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. You must provide transcripts.

To qualify for this position at the GS-09 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement:

EXPERIENCE: At least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). This experience must include all the following:
1) Developing and presenting a variety of interpretive programs including orientation talks, conducting walks, and giving demonstrations to a variety of audiences;
2) Developing interpretive materials, such as brochures, guidebooks, handouts, exhibits;
3) Operating a variety of audiovisual and other media used in connection with interpretive programs;
4) Performing day to day operations of a visitor center, information center, or similar facility;
5) Leading and/or training an aspect or function of an interpretive or visitor services operation, directing/delegating tasks, offering guidance and feedback to team members (including coaching). and troubleshooting discrepancies.
You must include hours per week worked.

-OR-

EDUCATION: Successful completion of at least two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education OR a master's/equivalent graduate degree in a related field appropriate to the position such as natural resource management, natural sciences, earth sciences, history, archeology, anthropology, park and recreation management, law enforcement/police science, social sciences, museum sciences, business administration, public administration, behavioral sciences, sociology, or other closely related subjects pertinent to the management and protection of natural and cultural resources. Course work in fields other than those specified may be accepted if it clearly provides applicants with the background of knowledge and skills necessary for successful job performance in the position to be filled. You must provide transcripts.

-OR-

Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. NOTE: Only progressive graduate education beyond the first year is credible when combining. You must submit a copy of your transcripts as proof of any claimed education and provide hours worked per week on your resume.

For more information on qualifying education or on combining education and experience see OPM Qualification Standards linked below:
Individual Occupational Requirements Park Ranger Series 0025

Volunteer Experience:
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

To qualify based on education, you must submit a legible copy of transcripts from an accredited institution with your name, school name, credit hours, course level, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Transcripts do not need to be official, but if you are selected for this position and you used your education to qualify, you must provide official transcripts before you begin work.

If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet qualification requirements, you must show that your education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

Additional information

A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay.

A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR 575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive.

A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

Promotion to the full performance level is neither guaranteed nor implied and will be based solely on your ability to satisfactorily perform the work of the position, existing work at the higher grade level, and recommendation by the position's supervisor.

Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion and can involve extensive periods of standing and walking, in some cases over rough surfaces or inclines outdoors or in caves, and carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, or other loads. Some employees engage in firefighting, search and rescue, and other strenuous activities; these employees may be required to lift or carry equipment weighing more than 50 pounds over long distances. Employees who participate in all-risk operations will be required to meet fitness requirements on a continuing basis.

Working Conditions: The work can include moderate risks or discomforts that require safety precautions (e.g., exposure to extreme temperatures, climates, rough terrain, wild animals, pests, and/or insects). The incumbent may be required to use protective clothing or gear, such as masks, boots, gloves, etc. Some employees may be engaged in all-risk operations and be exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations which require a range of safety and other precautions.


How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.

Candidates who apply under Competitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are highly qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Best qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

Candidates who apply under Noncompetitive Merit Promotion procedures will undergo a quality review to determine if they are minimally qualified based on the content of their resume and their responses to the questionnaire. Qualified candidates will be referred if all required supporting documentation has been provided.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics):


To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link:

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

Please submit 1) a copy of your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation and 2) a list of any awards (e.g. superior performance awards, special act or achievement awards, quality step increase, etc.) you received in the last 5 years. Any performance appraisal/evaluation and award documentation you provide will be forwarded to the selecting official. The selecting official will review this documentation and give it due weight consideration during the overall selection process.

If you do not have your most recent performance appraisal/evaluation, please submit a statement as to why it is not available. Please indicate if any prior performance appraisals/evaluations were at an acceptable level.

Documentation for the Land Management Workforce Flexibility Act (LMWFA) eligibility, submission of ALL SF-50s and performance information for each period of temporary/term employment that qualifies for LMWFA. Performance documentation can be obtained by contacting the supervisors for the positions you served in during your 24 months. If they did not complete performance appraisals ask them to provide a statement of performance for each period of service. The statement must specify the dates for each employment period and your level of performance (dates should match the dates on the SF-50s).

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